Cleat for securing and protecting sheet-roofing



L. M. FORD.

CLEAT FOR SECURING AND PROTECTING SHEET ROOFING.

' APPLICATION Fl 1,348,858.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS M. roan, or VAN'DALIA, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 13, 1920,

Application filed March 4,'19f8. Serial No. 220,275.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS M. FORD, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of Vandalia, in the county of Fayette, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cleats for Securing and Protecting Sheet-Roofing, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

Thisinvention relates to improvements in cleats for securing and protecting margins of sheet roofing, the main object is to produce a strong, simple and inexpensive device of this kind adapted to firmly secure and at the same time most effectively protect the lapped margins of prepared sheet roofing. One of my objects is to provide a simple reinforcing element having the twofold function of materially reinforcing the cleat and protecting the edge face of one of the lapped roofing sheets. This raw edge is usually exposed to heat, wind, rain, ice, etc., and it is not ordinarily coated with the pro tective preparation. The laminae and fibers at the edges of the prepared sheet roofing, cannot withstand the action of the elements as well as the top and bottom faces of the roofing and, if not protected, these edges become dry and peel apart or curl upwardly from the adjacent sheet, and they are otherwise readily affected by exposure to the different weather conditions, so as to impair the roof and permit leakage of water be tween the lapped roofing sheets. My object is to most effectively protect these edges by means of a very inexpensive flange which also forms a very desirable longitudinal reinforcing element for the roofing cleat.

Another object is to produce a sheet metal roofing cleat having its body portion pressed in a particular manner to form a desirable combination of reinforcing elements.

A further object is to produce a single sheet of metal, pressed and bent to provide a single device having all of the foregoing advantages.

Figure I is a fragmentary plan view showing my cleats secured over the lapped margins of two sheets of roofing.

Fig. II is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line II-II, Fig. I.

Fig. III is an enlarged transverse section on the line III-III, Fig. I.

Fig. IV is an enlarged transverse on the line IVIV, Fig. I.

To illustrate the invention I have shown elongated roofing cleats A arranged with their ends abutting against each other and section secured over the lapped margins of roofing sheets 1 and 2. The roofing sheets may be made of any'suitable material, saturated and coated with a suitable protective preparation, and the margins of the sheets may longitudinal edges of the cleat are turned downwardly as shown at 5 and 6, the downturned portion 5 being relatively narrow so as to be embedded in the upper sheet of roofing, and the downturned portion 6 being in the form of a relatively wide longitudinal flange, adapted to cover the edge of the upper sheet of roofing and extend into the top face of the lower sheet. Both of the longitudinal margins are thus turned downwardly and embedded in the different sheets of roofing so as to prevent leakage of water under the cleat, at the same time very effectively protecting the raw edge of the upper sheet 2.

The reinforcing flange 6 is formed at approximately a right angle to the body portion of the cleat, and it lies approximately parallel with the adjacent raw edge of the upper sheet of roofing. In addition to pro tecting the edge face of the roofing, the longitudinal flange 6 very materially rein forces the long cleat.

Between the longitudinal marginal portions of the cleat, I preferably form X- shaped ribs 7 near the ends of the cleat, and similar ribs 7 near the center of the cleat. To form X-shaped ribs, the sheet metal is pressed upwardly, the top faces of the intersecting ribs being inclined upwardly (Figs. II and IV) to the point of intersection, and a nail-receiving opening is formed at the elevated point of intersection. Nails 8 are driven through the centers of the X- shaped ribs, also through the roofing sheets 1 and 2 and into the sheathing 9 below the sheets. By forming the X-shaped ribs as herein shown, inclining them upwardly to the points of intersection and forming the to thoroughly embed the Vdownturned por- 'tion 5 in the upper sheet of roofing, at the same time firmly forcing the lower edge of the downturned portion 6 into the lower sheet of roofing.

To reinforce the cleat between the X- shaped ribs, the metal is pressed upwardly to provide longitudinal arches 10 which extend approximatelyv from one X-shaped rib I to another. These elements'lO are arched transversely, as shown most clearly in Fig. III, the arch being formed between the longitudinal seats 3 and 4 at the margins of the cleat.

I claim r 1. In a device for securing the lapped margins of sheet roofing, an elongated pressed metal cleat having X-shaped reinforcing elements each comprising comparatively narrow arched intersecting ribs, the top faces of the intersecting ribs being inclined upwardly to a point much higher than'the metal of the body of the cleat surrounding said X-shaped reinforcing elements elements, elongated longitudinal and provided with a nail-receiving opening at the elevated center of each of said X-shaped reinforcing elements, and

'rece iving opening at the elevated center of each of said 'X-shaped reinforcing arches being formed between said X-shaped reinforcing elements, both of the longitudi nal margins of the cleat being turned downwardly, one of the downturned marginal portions being narrow so as to be embedded in the uppersheet of roofing, and the other downturncd marginal portion being relatively wide so as to cover the edge of the upper sheet" of roofing'and extend into the top face of the lower sheet.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto afiix my signature.

Louis M. Form. 

